In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a lesser number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Pearlicious V’.
The present variety was hybridized by me in 2001 as a first generation cross using ‘5P452’ (unpatented) nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed low chill nectarine as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered that summer, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in my greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the seedlings were transplanted as a group to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2004 I selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to ‘Spring Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,034) nectarine by producing nectarines that are firm, mostly red in skin color, white in flesh color, globose in shape, and clingstone in type, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that matures about one week later and that has a blend of traditional nectarine flavor with very high sugar, rather than mildly sub-acidic in taste.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘5P452’ nectarine, by producing nectarines that are firm in texture, white in flesh color, globose in shape, clingstone in type, and that mature in the latter part of June, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that has more freckling on the skin, that is much sweeter in flavor, and that is more acidic in flavor instead of mildly sub-acidic.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, an unnamed low chill nectarine, by producing nectarines that are mostly red in skin color, globose in shape, and clingstone in type, but is distinguished therefrom by having a somewhat higher chilling requirement and by producing fruit that is white in flesh color instead of yellow, that is firmer in texture, and that matures about one week later.